Ingabe Uyakwazi Ukulinda?

WAKE wacabanga ukuthi singakanani isikhathi unyaka ngamunye, abantu abasichitha belindile nje? Bama emigqeni ezitolo noma emagalaji kaphethiloli. Balindela ukusizwa ezindaweni zokudlela. Bayalinda ukuze babonane nodokotela noma udokotela wamazinyo. Balinda amabhasi nezitimela. Yebo, isikhathi esiningi ngokumangalisayo ekuphileni komuntu sichithwa kulindwe ukuba kwenzeke izinto ezithile. Ngokokunye ukulinganisa, abantu baseJalimane bebodwa balahlekelwa amahora ayizigidi eziyizinkulungwane ezingu-4,7 ngonyaka belindile nje esiminyaminyeni sezimoto! Othile lapho ebala wathola ukuthi leso sikhathi silingana nobude besikhathi sokuphila kwabantu abangaba ngu-7 000.

Ukulinda kungakhungathekisa kakhulu. Kulezi zinsuku, kubonakala singekho isikhathi esanele sokwenza yonke into, futhi ukucabanga ngezinye izinto okufanele ngabe siyazenza kungenza ukulinda kube uvivinyo lwangempela. Umlobi u-Alexander Rose wake wathi: “Ingxenye yosizi lokuphila ukulinda.”

Isikhulu sikahulumeni saseMelika uBenjamin Franklin saqaphela ukuthi ukulinda kungaba izindleko futhi. Eminyakeni engaphezu kwengu-250 edlule, sathi: “Isikhathi siyimali.” Yingakho amabhizinisi efuna izindlela zokugwema ukulibala okungadingekile emsebenzini. Umkhiqizo owengeziwe ngesikhathi esifushane ungasho inzuzo enkulu. Amabhizinisi asebenzelana ngokuqondile nomphakathi azama ukunika usizo olusheshayo—izindawo zokudla okuvuthiwe, amabhange nokunye okunjalo—ngoba ayazi ukuthi ukujabulisa umthengi kuhlanganisa nokunciphisa isikhathi sokulinda.

Ukusaphaza Ukuphila Kwethu

Imbongi yaseMelika yekhulu le-19 uRalph Waldo Emerson yake yakhononda yathi: “Yeka ukuthi kungakanani ukuphila kwabantu okulahleka ngokulinda!” Muva nje, umlobi uLance Morrow wakhononda ngendlela ukulinda okucasula futhi kukhathaze ngayo umzimba. Kodwa  wabe esekhuluma “ngosizi olucashile lokulinda.” Kuyini lokho? “Ukwazi ukuthi isikhathi, into eyigugu kakhulu kumuntu, ingxenye yokuphila kwakhe, siyebiwa futhi ngeke siphinde sitholakale.” Kuyadabukisa, kodwa kuyiqiniso. Isikhathi esilahleka silindile silahleka unomphela.

Yiqiniso, ukube ukuphila bekungekufushane kangaka, ukulinda bekungeke kusikhathaze. Kodwa ukuphila kufushane. Ezinkulungwaneni zeminyaka edlule, umhubi weBhayibheli wathi: “Izinsuku zeminyaka yethu zineminyaka engamashumi ayisikhombisa; kuthi uma ziziningi, zineminyaka engamashumi ayisishiyagalombili; nokho ukuvama kwazo kungukuhlupheka nelize, ngokuba zidlula masinyane, thina siyandiza, simuke.” (IHubo 90:10) Kungakhathaliseki ukuthi sihlalaphi nokuthi singobani, ukuphila kwethu—izinsuku, amahora, nemizuzu esuke iphambi kwethu lapho sizalwa—kulinganiselwe. Nokho, asinakuzigwema izimo lapho siphoqeleka khona ukuba sichithe esinye saleso sikhathi esiyigugu silindele izenzakalo ezithile noma abantu.

Ukufunda Ukulinda

Iningi lethu like laba semotweni eshayelwa umuntu olokhu ezama ukudlula izimoto eziphambi kwakhe. Ngokuvamile, kusuke kungekho sidingo esiphuthumayo—kusuke kungekho lapho lowo mshayeli ephuthuma khona. Nokho, akakwazi ukubekezelela ukuba ijubane lakhe lilawulwe omunye umshayeli. Ukuntula kwakhe ukubekezela kubonisa ukuthi akakakufundi ukulinda. Akufunde? Yebo, ukukwazi ukulinda kuyisifundo okumelwe sifundwe. Akekho ozalwa nako. Izingane zifuna ukunakwa ngaso leso sikhathi uma zilambile noma kunokuthile okuziphazamisayo. Kuba yilapho sezikhulile lapho ziqonda khona ukuthi ngezinye izikhathi kudingeka zilinde ukuze zithole ezikufunayo. Yebo, njengoba ukulinda kuyingxenye engenakugwenywa yokuphila, ukukwazi ukulinda ngokubekezela lapho kudingekile kuwuphawu lokuvuthwa komuntu.

Yiqiniso, zikhona izimo eziphuthumayo lapho ukuphelelwa ukubekezela kuqondakala khona. Indoda ephuthumisa umkayo esibhedlela ngoba kuzozalwa ingane yabo yokuqala kungaqondakala ukuphelelwa kwayo ukubekezela ngenxa yokulibaziseka. Izingelosi ezazinxusa uLoti ukuba aphume eSodoma zazingazimisele ukulinda lapho uLoti elibala. Imbubhiso yayisiseduze futhi ukuphila kukaLoti nomkhaya wakhe kwakusengozini. (Genesise 19:15, 16) Nokho, ezimweni eziningi, ukuphila kusuke kungekho engozini lapho abantu bephoqeleka ukuba balinde. Ezimweni ezinjalo, izinto bezingaba ngcono kakhulu ukube wonke umuntu ubefunde ukubekezela—ngisho noma ukulinda kubangelwa ukuhluleka kothile ukwenza umsebenzi ngendlela noma ukunganaki kwakhe. Ngaphezu kwalokho, bekuyoba lula ngokwengeziwe ukubekezela ukube wonke umuntu ubefunde ukusebenzisa isikhathi sokulinda ngendlela enenzuzo. Ibhokisi elisekhasini 5 linokusikisela kokwenza ukulinda kungagcini ngokuba okubekezelelekayo kodwa futhi kube okuzuzisayo.

Akunakushalazelelwa ukuthi umoya wokungabekezeli ungase ubonise isimo sengqondo sokuzikhukhumeza, umuzwa wokuthi umuntu ubaluleke kakhulu ukuba angalindiswa. Noma ubani onaleso simo sengqondo, kufanele acabangele la mazwi alandelayo eBhayibheli: “Onomoya obekezelayo ungcono kunoziphakamisayo.” (UmShumayeli 7:8) Ukuziphakamisa noma ukuzikhukhumeza, kuwukushiyeka okubi kobuntu, futhi isaga seBhayibheli sithi: “Bonke abazidlayo ngenhliziyo bayisinengiso kuJehova.” (IzAga 16:5) Ngakho-ke, ukufunda ukubekezela—ukufunda ukulinda—kungase kudinge ukuzihlolisisa nokuhlola ubuhlobo bethu nabantu esiphila nabo.

Ukubekezela Kuyovuzwa

Ngokuvamile sikuthola kulula ukulinda uma siqiniseka ukuthi lokho esikulindele kuyakufanelekela ukulindwa nokuthi kuzofika ngempela ekugcineni. Ngokuqondene nalokhu, kuhle ukucabangela ukuthi bonke abakhulekeli bakaNkulunkulu abaqotho balinde ukugcwaliseka kwezithembiso zakhe ezimangalisayo eziseBhayibhelini. Ngokwesibonelo, ehutsheni eliphefumulelwe ngokwaphezulu siyatshelwa: “Abalungileyo bazakudla ifa lomhlaba, bahlale kuwo njalonjalo.” Lesi sithembiso sananelwa umphostoli uJohane lapho ethi: “Lowo owenza intando kaNkulunkulu uhlala kuze kube phakade.” (IHubo 37:29; 1 Johane 2:17) Ngokusobala, ukube besingaphila phakade, ukulinda bekungeke kube inkinga enkulu. Kodwa asiphili phakade manje. Ingabe kunengqondo ukukhuluma ngokuphila phakade?

 Ngaphambi kokuba uphendule, cabangela ukuthi uNkulunkulu wadala abazali bethu bokuqala benethemba lokuphila phakade. Ukona kwabo kuphela okwabenza balahlekelwa yilelo themba, bona kanye nezingane zabo—kuhlanganise nathi. Nokho, ngemva nje kokona kwabo, uNkulunkulu wamemezela injongo yakhe yokuchitha imiphumela yokungalaleli kwabo. Wathembisa ukuza ‘kwenzalo,’ leyo eyaba uJesu Kristu.—Genesise 3:15; Roma 5:18.

Yithi okudingeka sinqume ukuthi siyozuza yini ekugcwalisekeni kwezithembiso zakhe noma cha. Ukwenza kanjalo kudinga ukubekezela. Ukuze lisisize sifunde lolu hlobo lokubekezela, iBhayibheli lisikhuthaza ukuba sizindle ngesibonelo somlimi. Uhlwanyela imbewu yakhe, kodwa akukho okunye angakwenza ngaphandle kokulinda ngokubekezela—enze angakwenza ukuze avikele izitshalo zakhe—kuze kube isikhathi sokuvuna. Ukubekezela kwakhe kube sekuvuzwa, futhi abone izithelo zomshikashika wakhe. (Jakobe 5:7) Umphostoli uPawulu ukhuluma ngesinye isibonelo sokubekezela. Usikhumbuza ngabesilisa nabesifazane abathembekile basendulo. Babebheke ekugcwalisekeni kwezinjongo zikaNkulunkulu, kodwa kwadingeka balindele isikhathi sikaNkulunkulu esimisiwe. UPawulu usikhuthaza ukuba silingise bona, “okuthi ngokholo nangokubekezela bazuze izithembiso njengefa.”—Heberu 6:11, 12.

Yebo, ukulinda kuyisici sokuphila esingenakugwenywa. Kodwa akudingekile kube into ehlale isikhathaza. Kulabo abalindele ukugcwaliseka kwezithembiso zikaNkulunkulu, ukulinda kungaba umthombo wenjabulo. Bangasebenzisa isikhathi sokulinda behlakulela ubuhlobo obuseduze noNkulunkulu futhi benza imisebenzi ebonisa ukholo lwabo. Futhi ngomthandazo, ngokutadisha nangokuzindla, bangahlakulela ukholo olungenakunyakaziswa lokuthi konke uNkulunkulu akuthembisile kuyokwenzeka ngesikhathi sakhe esifanele.

[Ibhokisi/Izithombe ekhasini 5]

NCIPHISA UBUHLUNGU BOKULINDA!

Hlela kusengaphambili! Uma wazi ukuthi kuzodingeka ulinde, lungela ukufunda, ukubhala, ukuluka, ukukhilosha noma ukwenza omunye umsebenzi ozuzisayo.

Sisebenzisele ukuzindla leso sikhathi, okuyinto eya iba nzima kuleli zwe elisheshayo.

Gcina izincwadi zokufunda ziseduze nocingo ukuze uzisebenzise uma usalindiswe ocingweni; ungafunda amakhasi amaningana ngemizuzu emihlanu noma eyishumi.

Lapho ulinde eqenjini, futhi uma kufaneleka, lelo thuba lisebenzisele ukuqala izingxoxo nabanye futhi uhlanganyele nabo izinto ezakhayo.

Gcina emotweni incwajana yokubhala noma yokufunda oyoyisebenzisa ngezikhathi zokulinda ezingalindelekile.

Cimeza, wehlise umoya, noma uthandaze.

UKULINDA NGOKUPHUMELELAYO NGOKUYINHLOKO KUYINDABA YESIMO SENGQONDO NOKUCABANGA KUSENGAPHAMBILI.